Xbox Game Pass has gone through many phases since its launch in 2017. At first, it seemed like a harebrained scheme that would never work. In the early Series X era, it was widely hailed as "the best deal in games."
But after Microsoft bought Activision — and the gravy-train Call of Duty franchise along with it — Xbox found itself in a position to recoup a $70 billion investment. By the time 2025 drew to a close, a subscription service that had once cost $10 or $15 per month was now a whopping $30 per month, or $360 per year.